{"id":44217,"date":"2022-03-01T19:18:44","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T19:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/03\/01\/pentagon-revisiting-long-term-us-troop-levels-in-eastern-europe\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:17:20","slug":"pentagon-revisiting-long-term-us-troop-levels-in-eastern-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/03\/01\/pentagon-revisiting-long-term-us-troop-levels-in-eastern-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon revisiting long-term US troop levels in Eastern Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Pentagon is considering whether to add U.S. troops in Eastern European NATO-member countries on a long-term basis in the wake of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biden administration\u2019s $6.4 billion request to Congress<\/a> to respond to the Ukraine crisis includes $3.5 billion for the Pentagon, to pay for operating costs associated with the surge to the current 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe or its waters and also to backfill weapons the U.S. military is sending from its stockpiles to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Defense Secretary for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities Mara Karlin<\/a> told the House Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon would be re-examining the Global Posture Review<\/a>, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin\u2019<\/a>s most recent troop allocation plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe recognize this dynamic situation now requires us to give it another fine-tooth look, to see what\u2019s necessary to ensure that we\u2019ve got deterrence of Russia and that we can absolutely 150% say that NATO is safe and secure,\u201d Karlin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re looking at what sort of troop presence \u2013 whether it\u2019s rotational or permanent \u2013 is necessary given this current security environment, both in the near term and frankly, and in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comment was in response to HASC\u2019s top Republican, Rep. Mike Rogers<\/a>, who said that prior to Russia\u2019s invasion there was talk of permanently-stationed U.S. troops in Romania, and the Baltic countries. \u201cDoes the administration support this result that after this invasion, that we make that troop presence permanent in those Eastern European front countries,\u201d Rogers asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, Rogers and Rep. Mike Turner, who is the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis encouraging the U.S. and Romanian governments to explore ways to create a permanent joint military base in Romania.<\/p>\n\n\n\t